Best Engineering Schools Near Foster City, CA (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Foster City, California has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs. Foster City has a population of about 32,964. Median household income is $193,633 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 74.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning engineering-related role is Architectural and Engineering Manager at a median $221,580 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Engineering Schools to Foster City

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer engineering programs near Foster City, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Foster City city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Foster City. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Stanford University

Stanford, CA 10.2 miles from Foster City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
95.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $124,080
Avg net price $13,807/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 100

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Skyline College

San Bruno, CA 12.2 miles from Foster City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
70.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 27%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,702
Avg net price $1,738/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

California State University-East Bay

Hayward, CA 13.6 miles from Foster City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
79.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 97%
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,401
Avg net price $9,320/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,583
Out‑of‑state$20,183
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 59

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Foothill College

Los Altos Hills, CA 15.4 miles from Foster City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,072
Avg net price $7,653/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 69

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA 16.3 miles from Foster City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
78.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,077
Avg net price $12,278/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 102

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of California-San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 17.8 miles from Foster City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 18.3 miles from Foster City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
70.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $89,812
Avg net price $41,431/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 81

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of California-Berkeley

Berkeley, CA 21.9 miles from Foster City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
93.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 11%
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,446
Avg net price $13,481/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,347
Out‑of‑state$50,547
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 127

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California engineering page.

Engineering Wages Near Foster City

Foster City is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Civil Engineer $130,160 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $112,595
Electrical Engineer $166,030 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $143,625
Mechanical Engineer $161,370 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $139,593
Chemical Engineer N/A CA statewide –
Aerospace Engineer $191,260 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $165,450
Biomedical Engineer $140,660 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $121,678
Environmental Engineer $138,840 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $120,104
Architectural and Engineering Manager $221,580 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $191,678

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Foster City at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 32,964 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $193,633 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 74.1% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 115.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Engineering-related employment in San Mateo County 3,959 workers, 394 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Foster City-Area Cities With Engineering Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited engineering schools are near Foster City, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering engineering programs near Foster City. The closest is College of San Mateo in San Mateo, CA (4.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Skyline College (12.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying engineering roles near Foster City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying engineering-related roles near Foster City are: Architectural and Engineering Manager ($221,580), Aerospace Engineer ($191,260), Electrical Engineer ($166,030). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in San Mateo instead of Foster City?

San Mateo, CA is 2.5 miles from Foster City and has its own set of local engineering programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Foster City an affordable place to study engineering?

Foster City’s median household income of $193,633 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Foster City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Engineering Programs

Other Programs Available in Foster City

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Foster City:

Data verified: September 6, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Engineering Schools in California: Online Programs (2026)